The Acts of the Apostles 52

Subtitle: The Gospel Spreads from Antioch

We apologize that the audio for this sermon is not available.

Acts 13:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 20, 2023.

As we share the Gospel with people, we will have a variety of responses.  Some will be disinterested.  Others will show interest and may or may not believe.  However, some will not be content to ignore believers.  They may actively work against the Gospel, or even persecute us.

Of course, we cannot control how people are going to respond, and we shouldn't want to do so. Yet, we can make sure that we are a person that is filled with the Holy Spirit and led by God in sharing the Gospel.  This takes time spent in prayer, fasting and seeking God for direction.

Let's look at our passage.

Consecrated to the Lord's ministry (v. 1-4a)

Verse 2 states that there are a group of prophet-teachers who "ministered" unto the Lord at a particular time in Antioch.  The word "ministered" here is also used of priests who serve in the temple.  It can basically point to the things that we do in order to serve the purposes of Jesus.  However, this is more specific than all of the things they could be doing like preaching, and witnessing.  It appears that they are intentionally gathered in prayer and worship of God, perhaps seeking His will regarding something.

The five men who are listed here would not be all of those in Antioch who were prophet-teachers, but they may have represented the ones that were considered the most mature in the Lord.

The Apostle Barnabas is listed first.  When he was first introduced in Acts 4:36, we saw that he was originally from the Island of Cyprus. 

Then, we have Simeon called "Niger."  Niger is Latin for the word black.  It seems most likely that he is of African descent.  Some connect this Simeon with the Simon from Cyrene who was forced to help carry the cross of Jesus (Matthew 27:32).  The name is the same, just a different spelling. 

The third man listed is Lucius of Cyrene.  Nothing else is said of him. 

Fourthly, we have a man named Manaen who was raised with Herod the Tetrarch.  Herod the Tetrarch was the one who married his half-brother's wife, which was condemned by John the Baptist.  He eventually had John's head cut-off to satisfy the anger of his wife.  He also is the Herod that Pilate sent Jesus to during his interrogation of him. 

I would just insert that there is a world of difference between these men who were raised as boys together.  One was an immoral ruler who executed a righteous prophet, and the other (Manaen) is a Jew who has put his faith in Jesus, is filled with the Holy Spirit and is used as a prophet-teacher within the church of Antioch.  You never know where people's choices will take them, whether because of their raising, or regardless of it.

Lastly, Saul of Tarsus is listed.  I believe Luke has listed him last on purpose because this chapter is a pivotal point  in the book of Acts.  From here on, we will see Saul become known as Paul, and the emphasis will become more and more about what God did through the Apostle Paul.

This is quite a list of men who were in the church at Antioch.  God will always be faithful to bring to a church others bearing gifts from Him to help them grow spiritually and in numbers.  Yet, these men grew in the Lord somewhere.  Thus, many in Antioch, who benefitted from the Lord's Spirit in these men, would also be gifted by God to serve His Church.

It is not clear if only these five are praying, or if they are meeting as a church.  Regardless, they are praying, fasting, and seeking God.  In this environment, a word from the Holy Spirit is given.  It is not said who shares this word, but I would guess it is not Barnabas and Saul, since the word is about them.

The Holy Spirit mentions that God is calling Barnabas and Saul to a particular work.  We do know that Saul was told at his conversion that he would "bear My Name[Jesus]" before kings, gentiles, and the children of Israel.  In short, they will become apostolic missionaries.

You will not find the word "missionaries" in the New Testament, but you do find the word mission.  For our purposes, I would describe a missionary as someone who purposefully goes into other cultural areas in order to start and to establish new groups of believers in Jesus.

Of course, we are all called to share the Gospel with others, but the Church had not developed the mentality, at that point, of purposefully going into new areas in order to start churches.   It is the Holy Spirit, God Himself, that stirs up this concept within the church at Antioch.  Whether you are called to share the Gospel generally wherever you are, or God specifically calls you to go to certain places, we should remember that everything we do is to be unto the Lord, for Him.  We should all be filled with God's Spirit and being a witness of Jesus to the world around us.  This should be a matter of prayer for all of us.

The Spirit tells the group to "separate" Barnabas and Saul for the work.  God had a holy work for them that was unique compared to the rest of the group.  Thus, they were to be set apart, consecrated, for this particular work.  All of us have a holy calling on our life as servants of the Lord.  Yet, God has a specific calling upon these two that is going to take them out of the group and into the Gentile lands beyond.  Thus, we do see a distinction in the New Testament between those who lived holy lives and witnessed to the world around them where they were at, and those whom God sent on the road in order to expand the extent of those who had heard about Jesus.

Those who are staying put are to help in the sending of those who are going out.  In a sense, this church in Antioch would be giving them to the work of the Lord.  This is a spiritual sacrifice, but also a spiritual offering.  Thus, the calling of people to ministry has a personal aspect to it, and yet, it also has a group aspect to it.  Churches need to hear from the Spirit and come alongside those that the Spirit is calling into missions, whether to cultural groups within America, or around the world.  This is primarily spiritual.  We pray for them; we fast for them, and we even lay hands upon them as we pray.  This pictures the church participating in the commissioning of these men.  Yet, it is also material.  They will need supplies, and funds to be on the road.  The calling is of God, but it is fulfilled by Barnabas, Saul, and the Antioch church stepping forth and exercising their faith in the leadership of Jesus.

The Gospel goes to the island of Cyprus (v. 4-12)

After praying for Barnabas and Saul, they help to see them off on this missionary journey.  It will become the first official missionary journey, and is often called Paul's First Missionary Journey.  You may want to pull up a map.  Antioch is 20 miles inland on a river, so they travel down to the Mediterranean Sea to a town called Seleucia.  From there, they sail to Cyprus, landing at a coastal town called Salamis.  These men contain a precious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it has now reached Cyprus.

Why did they go to Cyprus?  It was close, that is for sure, but so were other places.  Barnabas is from Cyprus, and so he may have wanted to share with his homeland.  Regardless, Luke depicts throughout the book of the Acts of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit is really the one who is leading this spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  How we need people who are responding to the leadership of the Holy Spirit rather than worrying about who is the leader and who gets to make the decisions about what is done.

Verse 5 tells us that they go to the synagogues of Salamis and preach to the Jews there.  This becomes the pattern of Barnabas and Saul.  Wherever they go, they make sure the Jews have heard the Gospel first.  This is not about prejudice and racism.  Rather, it has to do with the fact that they were the most interested in the coming of Messiah.  The Gentiles had been cast off, and God had created Israel to be His witnesses to the nations.  Thus, the Jews, who knew the Word of God (but not Messiah), would be given the knowledge that Messiah had come, and was not calling them to take the Gospel of Messiah to the Gentiles.  Paul refers to this in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

We might also note that some synagogues had God-fearing gentiles who were connected to them.  Thus, this is a wise place to start.  They would simply look for believers in Yahweh in an area and then work from there.

The wording in the beginning of verse 6 can be interpreted to mean that they traveled across the island in order to reach the town of Paphos.  However, it can also mean that they traveled around the whole island preaching in the synagogues and telling people about Jesus.  Eventually, they made it to the other side of the island at the administrative headquarters for the island, Paphos.  I think this is the most likely.  Luke doesn't get into the specifics of the response in these towns.  Rather, he wants to hone in on a particular confrontation that happens in Paphos.  Acts is a book of the highlights of the highlights, if you will.  The focus moves quickly to this one place.

It is in Paphos that Barnabas and Saul run into a Jewish false-prophet who also practices sorcery named Bar-Jesus.  This is a patronym, with the name of Elymas being given later.  Of course, his name is quite ironic.  Barnabas and Saul are spiritual sons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Elymas is really a son of the devil.  But, more on that in a bit.

The word used for sorcery here is the same that was used with Simon of Samaria in Acts 8:9.  It is not the "pharmakeia" term of the book of Revelation.  That word focuses on potions that the occultist would create to do their dark arts.  This is the word that refers to the knowledge and rituals that an occultist would do in order to obtain information from the spirits, which we know to be evil spirits.  Thus, this Jewish man is a complete apostate to the Jewish faith, much less someone who will be interested in the fact that Messiah has come. 

He has used his occult arts to weasel his way into the confidence of the proconsul of Cyprus, an administrative position given by Rome.  His name is Sergius Paulus.  Though Sergius Paulus is an intelligent man, he still doesn't know any better than to have an occultist as one of his advisors.  This is the intelligence of a natural man who is willing to get help from any source as long as it "works."

Sergius has clearly heard about these new comers to Cyprus.  He sends for Barnabas and Saul to explain what they are doing probably for two reasons.  As the proconsul, he needs to keep a close eye on anyone going around the island teaching anything new.  He cannot afford for any uprising to jeopardize his position.  Yet, he does seem to be personally interested in hearing what they have to say.

Luke tells us that Elymas "withstood" them in order to keep Sergius from believing.  You had better believe that those spirits Elymas consulted did not like Saul and Barnabas being there.  However, Elymas recognizes a threat to his gravy train as well.  He continues to argue against what Barnabas and Saul state.  This reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:8 where it tells us, "Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these [speaking of false-teachers] also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;..."

Whether Sergius understood it or not, a spiritual battle for his soul was taking place in front of him.  At this point Saul, full of the Holy Spirit, rebukes Elymas.  Notice the wording used.  Elymas was a man full of deceit and fraud.  Though some are able to connect with real spirits through the occult arts, these spirits themselves are deceitful and frauds.  The Bible warns against turning to any spirit, but the Spirit of God, for advice or power.  Those who follow deceitful spirits have already deceived themselves and so become frauds and deceits to all they connect with.  Elymas is clearly leaching off of the power and position of Sergius Paulus.  He is enriching himself through a deceitful practice.

He is also called a son of the devil.  Elymas knows that he is rejecting the One True God of Israel, Yahweh.  His is following his true spiritual father, the devil.  He is also called an enemy of all righteousness.  What Saul and Barnabas are doing is the essence of righteousness.  They are ambassadors of God's Anointed Savior of the world.  They come bearing peace terms for every man, woman, boy and girl in the world from the God of heaven.  Elymas is trying to protect his gig.

Saul also calls him out for perverting the straight ways of the Lord.  Perhaps, Elymas had used his knowledge of the Scriptures to speak against what Saul and Barnabas said.  Of course, he was twisting those Scriptures to say what he wanted, just like the devil did with Christ in the wilderness temptations.

At this point, Saul tells Elymas that he will be blind for a time.  Immediately, a darkness came upon Elymas and he could not see.  I don't believe that Saul just made this up.  I think the Spirit of God reminded Saul of how he too had resisted the Gospel, and God had struck him blind temporarily.  It is not likely that this occultist who has rejected the Scriptures would now believe in Jesus, but it would be the grace of God regardless.  He is not struck dead.  Instead, he is only temporarily blinded.  I doubt that he ever showed his face again in the proconsul's presence.

This act of God's power completely convinces Sergius.  He becomes a believer in this Jesus that they talked about.  Yet, he is astonished at the teaching of the Lord as well.

Luke does not mention how long they stay, or how many become believers, but the favor of the proconsul would go a long way to helping the Gospel put down roots in Cyprus.  Today, Cyprus is about 75% Christian with most being Greek Orthodox.

We will have to deal with all kinds of people in sharing the Gospel.  Such spectacular displays of power by God are usually seen when the Gospel goes into new areas.  They don't always continue because spectacular displays of power do not make great believers, as is witnessed by the generation that was brought out of Egypt by the Lord Jesus and Moses.  Saul's response isn't the normal in Acts or throughout history.  Yet, he was led by the Holy Spirit.

This is what is important for us today.  We can be too focused on praying for God to reduplicate certain powerful works of the past.  Let us pray for healings, for awakenings, and works of power.  However, let us have an ear that is tuned to hearing the Holy Spirit and being led by Him.  This will enable us to be faithful to the Lord Jesus in our generation.  Let's serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel, regardless of how people respond.  May God fill us with boldness to share the truth in the face of those who resist and stand against the Gospel of the Lord Jesus!

The Acts of the Apostles 47

Subtitle: I Want to be a Christian in My Heart

Acts 11:19-26.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 16, 2023.

The work of God in which He moves on the hearts of people has a mystery to it.  Have you ever talked with someone about the Lord, and it looked like they were very interested?  However, when it came to the time of decision, they may have been indifferent.  Of course, they may turn around in days, weeks or years. 

Some times people who seem so hard can respond to the Gospel, whereas others who seem soft may not.  Saul of Tarsus received a two by four to the head, and it turned him around.  However, others can brush similar things off.  Yet, even in Saul's case, I have to think that God had tried to get his attention many times before, e.g., "It is hard to kick against the goads."  Perhaps, Stephen was one of those goads in the life of Saul.

This mystery of how God moves upon the hearts of people, and how they respond, will never be figured out by us.  It is clear that He does move from time to time upon individuals, families, towns, cities, etc.  However, there is a term that is used of places that have had the Gospel powerfully preached for a long time and they have become hard to the Gospel.  The term is "burnt-over," as in the burnt-over district.

Yet, God has a way of coming back around, even to hardened, burnt-over hearts.  Switching metaphors, it reminds me of how the ground hardened by the freezing temperatures of winter will heave during the spring.  That which had become too hard and lifeless becomes a place of life as the warmth of the sun affects it.

What is true in the natural is also true in the spiritual.  May God help us to remain faithful to individuals and our cities so that, when the opportune time comes around again, we will be found in the harness working with Jesus. 

We tend to fixate on people and personalities more than we should.  Yet, God is the One who is in charge of the seasons.  We can do our job, but we can't speed up what only God can do.

This should make us think about the coming of Jesus.  Yes, we want to be found faithful at the Second Coming.  However, sometimes the Lord comes by His Spirit to do a work through us.  He brings times of transition and change in lives.  We need to be working, ready to see what new thing He is doing, and participate with Him in that work.

In our passage today, God starts a season of openness to the Gospel by Gentiles. Let's get into it.

Believers in Jesus take root in Antioch (v. 19-22)

Luke begins to describe the rise of the church in the city of Antioch as an early center of activity for the followers of Jesus.  Antioch would stand with Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Rome, as metropolitan hubs for the regions surrounding them.  It is going to be the church that begins a significant mission work to the Gentiles through Saul/Paul and Barnabas.

The Jerusalem church went through some tough years leading up to AD 70.  At some point, they obeyed the words of Jesus and moved across the Jordan to the city of Pella.  During this time, the Romans dismantled the city and pulled the temple apart stone by stone.

It wasn't until the 4th century that Constantinople became a major metropolitan city for the Church due to the Emperor moving his capital from Rome to there.

Of course in the 7th Century AD, Islam began to interfere with the communication and cohesion of these 5 cities.  Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch were the first to be impacted.  It wasn't until AD 1453 that Constantinople was taken over by Muslims.  Though these cities were important in the spread of Christianity, we should be careful turning them into a kind of Christian Mecca.  Our city is the New Jerusalem, reserved in heaven above.

In verse 19, Luke reminds us of the persecution that followed the martyring of Stephan in Jerusalem.  It is interesting that the man who was the tip of the spear for this persecution will end up being a major force for preaching Christ among the Gentiles.  This sparked a dispersion of Christians into the surrounding area.  Luke tells us that these Christians spread up the coast to Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon/Syria encompassing the cities of Tyre and Sidon), out to Cyprus (the large island off the coast of Phoenicia) and as far north as the Greek city of Antioch (modern-day Turkey).  Here is a link to a map to help you visualize.  These areas had large populations of Jews, which would be natural places of refuge for them.  Also notice that Tarsus (the place where Saul is from and is at currently) is across the bay  from Antioch (modern day Bay of Alexandretta).

We shouldn't treat this as an exhaustive list, but more of a help to see how the Antioch church was started.

Verses 19 and 20 have some Greek words that signal contrasting facts.  It is similar to our English expression "on the one hand."  Whenever someone says "on the one hand," you immediately know that there is something else will follow that contrasts what you say (i.e., "on the other hand").

Verse 19 gives us this first fact.  These scattered Jewish believers in Jesus were sharing the Gospel only with other Jews.

Why only Jews?  We could say it was only natural for them to tell Jewish people who have the most immediate interest in Messiah's appearance and work on the earth.  Paul in Romans 1 mentions that the salvation of Christ is to the Jew first and also to the Greeks.  We also see that Jesus spends 99% of his ministry in Israel and to them.  This is not a favoritism, but rather a recognition that they are the ones who had served God for over 1500 years.  It was only right that the Gospel should go to them first.

However, it is also clear that the early Jewish Christians had varying degrees of wariness to sharing the Gospel with Gentiles.  It took some time for the Holy Spirit to help them see the full extent of what Christ was doing in the world.

I would like to interject here that we do many things that flow out of our natural instincts, even as Christians.  I don't believe that they did a lot of hard thinking about the decision to only tell others Jews.  It simply flowed out of them naturally.  The same is true of us today.  This situation highlights why we need to be in prayer, in the Word of God, and seeking the empowerment and leading of the Holy Spirit.  We must be aware of this tendency within ourselves.  If it wasn't for God's help, we would be far more anemic in our efforts for His mission.

The contrasting fact comes to us in verse 20.  There was a particular group of believers that went to Antioch and they spoke to the Hellenists about Jesus.  Of course, they also would have spoken to Jews.  However, the contrast requires that we see Hellenist here, not as Jews who lived as Greeks, but in the larger sense of Gentiles who had Greek culture (not barbarians, etc.).  In short, Antioch is where a serious effort to share Christ with Gentiles began.  These Jews who were doing the sharing were originally from Cyprus and Cyrene, so they were probably Hellenistic Jews. 

Though Peter had shared the Gospel with Cornelius, we can also recognize that Cornelius was a military man.  As such, his life was not his own.  He went and did what Caesar desired.  So, Gentiles first heard the Gospel in Caesarea, but it is in Antioch that it truly began to spread among them.

It spread because the "hand of the Lord was with them."  This phrase always refers to visible acts of God.  Yet, the only thing described is people believing.  This doesn't mean that there were no miracles or baptisms of the Holy Spirit.  Rather, it is not emphasized.  I guess, we should not diminish the miracle of the Holy Spirit moving a heart to repent and believe.  This led to a "great number" who believed.  This would be at least hundreds, and perhaps over a thousand.

It is somewhat difficult to unravel the Lord's choice of Antioch, contra Caesarea, and to unravel it from the "accident" of the choice of these believers who happened to go to Antioch.  How much of it is God's sheer choice?  "I [God] want it to be this city." Or, how much of it was a mixture of him and these bold believers?  "O, you went there; okay, I [God] will bless that place."

It is actually not our job to unravel such mysteries.  It is best for us not to worry about that and simply be faithful to what He has given us to do.  We can tend to think in terms of, "God, please make it happen!"  However, it is generally more nuanced than simply Him making it happen.  Antioch had a huge move among the Gentiles, whereas other places did not.  This does not diminish what God did in the other places.  All people who are saved are important, and we should not think that God is "holding out on us" in any way.

We are told that word gets back to Jerusalem "of these things."  I don't think this statement if focused only on Antioch.  Rather, word comes back to Jerusalem of the spreading of the Gospel among Jewish communities, and especially the rise of Gentile believers in the newly established church at Antioch.

In verse 22, Barnabas is sent out from Jerusalem to go as far as Antioch.  This is that same Barnabas who donated money in Acts 4, and who helped Saul of Tarsus to be accepted by the Jerusalem church in Acts 9.

Barnabas would be able to check on the pockets of believers along the coast and encourage them in serving the Lord.  We don't know how long it took him, but eventually he makes it to Antioch.

Barnabas and then Saul come to Antioch (v. 23-26)

Luke sets up the context in which Barnabas and Saul become a ministry duo.  Their ministry together would soon spread throughout the region of Asia Minor and Greece.

Antioch will serve as a base of support for these two through prayer and financial support over the following years. 

It is good to launch out in ministry by faith, regardless of support that you can see.  God will provide in every way.  However, it is also good to launch out from a strong community of believers who are going to help support your spiritual and material needs.

When Barnabas arrives, he is blessed by what he sees.  The believing Jews and the believing Gentiles were doing a good job of serving Christ.  Thus, Barnabas simply encourages them to "continue with the Lord" Jesus, and to do so with "purpose of heart."

Much of the Christian walk is "continuing with the Lord."  This is not just an information download, but a walking with the master teacher by His Spirit.  Because it is relational, we are to be people of prayer, of the Word of God, seeking His Spirit, and walking out what we learn by faith.  This relationship with the Lord needs to endure, or persevere, all the things we face in this life.  All relationships can be boiled down to faith-filled perseverance in love.

When a person first comes to the Lord, many of their purposes need to be re-purposed with the Lord's help.  A prioritization that is led by Jesus is critical for we who are used to a prioritization led by our flesh.  This is easier said than done.  Praise God, that He has supplied His Holy Spirit to take up residence within us, enlighten us, and empower us to make His priorities to be our priorities.

We do not hear of any great miracles by Barnabas, but his ministry in Antioch is marked by the Holy Spirit and faith.  "A great many people were added to the Lord."  We can sometimes be overly focused on miracles, but as I said before, the salvation of a heart is itself a great miracle that we should not overlook.  Other miracles of healing, exorcisms, etc., are more signs of the presence of God.  They are not necessary in order to save people.  Yet, God in His grace often adds these graces to the move of His Spirit upon hearts.  May God help us to seek His Spirit and to do spiritual work by faith.

We cannot always know how He will bless what we do.  We must simply minister by faith.  In fact, we can be overly focused on making our ministry look a certain way.  "If I sound like this when I preach, I will be more effective."  Or, "If we sing this kind of song, people will really be moved by the Spirit."  Or, "If the lights are turned down and we light candles around the room, then we will see a move of the Spirit."  However, with such mentality, we can become guilty of manipulating people in the flesh.

No matter what, God blesses those who seek Him and share the Gospel with the lost.  Whether there is going to be a great response of salvation, or there is not, God's blessing is not dependent on either.  Those who are faithful in hard times (ala Jeremiah) are just as blessed of God as those who are faithful in the times of revival (ala Barnabas).  It our job to faithful to the Lord in the power of His Spirit wherever He has put us.

Luke does not get into why Barnabas suddenly feels the need to find Saul and bring him back to Antioch.  It could be a direct message from God.  "Go get Saul because I want him to help here."  However, it could be something as simple as this.  Barnabas is seeing great response.  Discipling people who did not grow up hearing and reading the Bible is hard work.  In this environment, Saul may have simply "come to mind."  Maybe, Barnabas suddenly thought one day, "We could really use a guy like Saul of Tarsus here."

Not every thought that comes into the mind of a believer is directly from God.  However, if a person is full of the Holy Spirit, involved in sharing the Gospel and discipling believers, seeking God's enabling and leading, etc., they should pay attention to thoughts like this.  No, I am not talking about thoughts that would be obviously sinful.  Rather, a thought that comes to mind and is in conformity with the righteousness of Christ.  This is a picture of how faith operates. 

Tarsus was about 100 miles away by land and about 70 miles by sea.  We are told that Barnabas sought Saul out, knowing that he was last headed to Tarsus.  Luke cruises over many questions about how long it took and whether Saul needed persuading etc.

Yet, we might wonder what Saul was doing in Tarsus.  I can hardly believe that he wasn't preaching and telling people about Jesus.  Did he have any success?  It is possible that the words of Jesus apply here. "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country."  It is sad to think that the great apostle to the Gentiles Saul would not have as much impact upon his hometown as other places.  Clearly, Saul sensed the Spirit of God in the appearance of Barnabas and the news of what was happening in Antioch.  He knew that God wanted him there.

Let us note that this is not a "pastoral search."  Saul would be joining Barnabas and many other gifted leaders in Antioch.  Barnabas is not the main guy in charge looking for someone to take them to the next level.  There is no sense of a single, "lead" pastor in the New Testament.  Such a concept was a later development that was not necessarily for the good.  Though God does work powerfully through certain individuals at times, it is clear that His intention is to raise up a group of elders, pastors, teachers, and prophets who work together to help the body of believers carry out the ministry of reconciliation with the lost, and ministry to other believers.

We should not see the church as a place to sit and soak up what we like.  Rather, we need to see our interactions as a place to grow in being used of God to minister ourselves.  We should be asking at all times, "God, what do you want me to be doing?"  We cannot stay as infants in Christ and accomplish much for the Kingdom of God.  In fact, when people are first saved, they need to grow spiritually.  Thus, they need a body of mature brothers and sisters, along with mature mother and father types to help them grow.

Verse 26 ends with the recognition that the believers were first called "Christians" in Antioch.  The word translated "called" clearly does not denote a name they called themselves.  It is actually used in business as a person who "makes a name" for themselves.  By their powerful preaching and ministry throughout Antioch, the believers had made a name for themselves, "Little Christ People."  Those who did not believe came up with a derogatory term that pictured them as inauthentic copy cats of this Jesus guy.

At some point down the road, the believers took the nickname as a badge of honor.  Yes, I may be a little Christ person, but I hope to grow up and be an adult Son of God that looks like Jesus!  Yes, I am a Christian! 

We are all called to take on the likeness, the image of Christ.  Today, the same Holy Spirit that worked through the Jewish believers, through Barnabas, and soon through Saul, works through us today.  At least, He wants to work through you and me to reach the lost.  May God help us to seek His Spirit and launch out in faith.  We know what He wants, so let's do it!

I want to be a Christian audio

The Acts of the Apostles 44

Subtitle: Peter Preaches to the Gentiles

Acts 10:34-43.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on June 11, 2023.

Today we are going to see the emphasis that God will save "whosoever" will come to Him and believe on Jesus as Lord and Savior.

This idea, that God wanted Gentiles to come directly to Jesus for salvation without first becoming a Jew, and that He would make no distinction between them as Gentiles or Jews, is historically an unthinkable thing for most Jews of that day.  To them, everything in the Old Testament pointed towards the Gentiles need to come under the Law of Moses and then be joined to Israel.

Lest we treat this as some kind of special Jewish prejudice, we should recognize that all nations think and speak of themselves in terms that can be boiled down to this.  We are "The People" and all other nations are something less.  We should not be so quick to accept that this is what the Jewish Scriptures were promoting.

We also have a tendency to promote that all ethnic groups are good and it is wrong to critique them.  However, this is simply refusing to face the truth of history.  Even by modern man's ever changing definition of what is good, there is a tendency to cherry pick certain ethnic groups for castigation, and turn a blind eye to other groups. It is the result of the mentality that the end justifies the means.

We will talk more about this, but for today, we see that God's heart was never operating out of favoritism.  He is going to save and fill with His Holy Spirit a group of Gentiles without making them fulfill the Law of Moses.

Let's look at our passage.

God shows no partiality (v. 34-35)

As Peter walks into the living space of Cornelius' quarters, there is a whole group of Gentiles gathered to hear him.  These are the friends and family of Cornelius.  It is here that Peter makes a powerful statement up front.  God shows no partiality, or favoritism.  This phrase is also translated as "no respecter of persons."  The underlying meaning comes from a word that literally states that He does not receive the face.  God is not looking at the face of the person and accepting them for external reasons.  God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Humans easily fall into this pattern and are sometimes blind to how much we do it.  However, God's judgments are not based upon superficial things.  He does not have a grid of things like: ethnic group, skin color, pedigree, gender, etc., by which He filters out people that He will receive.

You may remember seeing an image or picture of Lady Justice holding scales in her hand and wearing a blindfold.  The idea is that justice should be meted out purely upon the facts of a case and not upon whom is coming before us.   This is a good reminder for us as humans because we generally have to be blindfolded in order to make a just decision.  I wonder how different our halls of injustice would be if our judges and juries were actually "blind" to the superficial identities of the defendant and the plaintiff.  However, even this would not fix everything.

Yet, God does not need a blindfold.  We are all His creation.  He is not a part of our group.  He was not a god created by the Israelites to reflect themselves as the ideal back to themselves.  He holds them accountable to Truth.

The closest thing we have to this in our world is when two children cannot get along and seek a judgment from their parents.  Yes, parents can have a favorite, but a good parent will recognize that both kids generally need to grow up and that both generally need to be disciplined.

God is not just better than parents.  He is perfect in His judgments.  He created us all and is not willing for any of us to perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Yet, some will still refuse to repent.

Lest you think I am making the Old Testament sound better than it is, you should look at Deuteronomy 10 (particularly verse 17) [also 2 Chronicles 19:7].  Moses reminds Israel that God's choice of them was not an act of favoritism.  They were not His pet nation.  No, He called Abram before He was a nation, and not because He foresaw that a perfect nation would come from his offspring.  In fact, the existence of different ethnic groups, nations, is directly connected to a judgment from God against a global rebellion against Him.

God does not call Israel to take their place, but to be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:3).  In the Deuteronomy 10 chapter, we also see God warning them to love the "stranger" in their midst.  There judgments were supposed to render "the judgment of the Lord."  Don't read that as God will stamp His approval on your judgments.  Rather, when we give a judgment, we are certifying that we believe this is what God's judgment is in heaven.  If we can't say that, then we should not make the judgment.

If you are still not convinced, then read Deuteronomy 32.  This chapter lays out that God knew they would be an obstinate and rebellious people (overall).  Of course, this would be true of any human people that He could have chosen.  An honest reading of the Old Testament will come to the conclusion that Israel was not treated with favoritism.  Rather, God was teaching them and doing a work through them that would help all nations (who were all in rebellion against Him by the way).

Peter also states that he "perceives" that God shows no partiality.  This word can be the result of my effort to look into something like a scientist.  I might perceive something, i.e., the light bulb of understanding turns on in my mind.  However, it can also be the result of a process where I am the student and another is teaching me, be it simply life, or God.  Peter is experiencing this second aspect.  God has been teaching and showing him that He is not showing favoritism with Israel simply because the Messiah was from their nation, and his apostles are from Israel.

This is a theme in the Old Testament.  God is a teacher, but humans generally hear Him, and yet, do not hear Him; they see and don't see.  Only the Holy Spirit of God can help us to hear and see what God is trying to teach us.  Even then, the Spirit of God will not override our choices.  The resistant and rebellious will go on over the top of God's teaching and be deaf and blind to it.

By the time we finally "perceive" what He is saying, God has been knocking on our door for a long time (at least when it comes to issues of repentance).  We must be careful as Christians (like Peter) that we do not harden our heart to what His Spirit is trying to teach us.

Have you ever taken any heat for doing what God put on your heart to do?  If not, then get ready.  If you follow Him, there will be plenty of people who will line up and take pop shots at your decision.  It is important for you to have done the hard work in prayer and in studying the Scriptures, so that you can have confidence that God is leading you.

In verse 35, Peter restates the point that God shows no partiality.  They are "accepted by Him."  There is a direct access to Jesus, or better yet, to God the Father through Jesus the Son.  It doesn't matter how much idolatry the person is coming out of, or how wicked their society has been.  A person from any nation can approach Jesus for salvation.

We should praise God for people who are hungry to hear the Word of God.  Some are like pouring water on a duck's back, whereas others soak it up.  However, we must not adopt the attitude that we only speak to "receptive people."  Jeremiah would have never spoke in obedience to God, if he had adopted that attitude.  We might be a voice crying in the wilderness, but we are a voice that belongs to God and is pleasing Him.  There are many people who have turned to the Lord after the deaths of their godly parents.  The parents did not get to see the fruit of their labor in this life, but they will in the life to come.

Peter mentions two things that are the hallmarks of a blameless man in the Old Testament.  The first is a person who fears God.  It is our tendency today to shrink away from this phrase, but in the battle with sin, it is an important, necessary issue.  Instead of ignoring God and His decrees, instead of pushing the teaching of the Holy Spirit away, this person halts and takes God seriously.  Something within them warns them that they had better not rush on and ignore this warning.  They pay attention to God and come after Him with a heart of loyal obedience (don't read that as perfection).  They do this while others ignore, mock, scoff, and continue on in sin.

It is not that God wants us to be afraid of Him all the time, as if He is going to smash us at any time everyday.  The fear of the Lord is that warning signal that rises up in our heart when we are tempted to sin, or stepping off the path of righteousness.  It is a warning that reminds us that we are in danger of making ourselves an enemy of God, the good and just God in Whom there is no partiality.

Peter also adds to this a person who works righteousness.  They do what is righteous, not in their own opinion, but as directed (defined) by God.  Peter is not saying that Gentiles can be saved by their own righteousness.  This is clear by what is said next, "accepted by Him."  This is about being locked out of approaching God's throne and asking for grace.

The Church must never teach a self-righteousness for acceptance and salvation before God.  We are acceptable and forgiven on the foundation of the righteousness of Jesus.  However, one who accepts the righteousness of Jesus will go after him and live out the righteousness of Jesus by the help of the Holy Spirit.  We can end up in the opposite ditch by steering too hard out of the ditch we are in.

The movie Jesus Revolution depicted the clash that occurred when hippies of the late 60's and early 70's tried to come to church.  They didn't have a suit on, a tie, or even shoes sometimes.  Yet, where in the Bible does it say such a person cannot approach God with the rest of us?  Anyone who comes to Jesus for salvation has only just begun to be cleaned up by his teaching and the help of his Holy Spirit.  Cleaning fish is dirty business, but God gets down in the muck and the mire with us, and by His Holy Spirit, He gets His hands dirty.  Will you join Him in that work?

What He wants from you is patient faith.  By your patient faith in His work, you will take possession of your soul and then make a difference in your part of the world.

Peter breaks down the Gospel (v. 36-43)

Peter then tells them exactly what he told the people of Israel on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and ever since.  Gospel simply means good news.  So, what is the Good News?  It all centers on Jesus.  He is the good news:  who he is, what he did on this earth, his death and resurrection, God the Father's decision, and now our opportunity to have peace with Him.

Another way of thinking about the Gospel is to look at the action and reaction.  God the Father sent Jesus to be the Anointed King.  Israel rejected him and put him to death (with Roman help of course).  God responded by resurrecting Jesus from the dead in a heavenly, glorified body.  He also makes him to be the king of heaven and earth.  God's wrath will be poured out on humanity, but first He allows all men everywhere to believe on Jesus (his work and position) and have peace with Him.  So, God has put the "ball" of choice in your court.  What are you going to do?

We may not feel comfortable with being put in the pinch, but the truth was that we were already enemies of God.  We were already living for sin and not for righteousness.  It is not easy to be set free from sin, and to be clear, it is not "fun" for our flesh to be freed from sins, but it is a joy for our spirit and soul.  There are some things that you may not want to let go of.  Sometimes we can become very hard to the nudging and correction of the Holy Spirit.

I see this when we deal with one another.  We can be in an argument or debate with people and find ourselves playing this game where we are not wanting the truth.  We are only trying to win.  We become nit-picky towards every little thing that is said and ignore any overall truth that is not dependent upon nit-picking grammar, and other irrelevant details.  There are too many people "winning" arguments in this world (in their mind at least).  Two people walk away from a debate and are completely convinced that they won. 

In fact, we are getting to the place where we define winning as not even listening to an argument that is not congruent with our thoughts.  We cancel the other side and call it a win.  We stick our fingers in our ears and refuse to talk with one another because we have become so afraid.  Do you know what we are afraid of?  We are afraid of the Truth.  We are afraid of God breaking through that shell and into our hearts.  We are afraid of finding out that we fall short.  But, please hear me.  The day on which you realize the truth that you completely fall short is a wonderful day.  It is a wonderful day because now you can find Jesus and He will become your foundation of righteousness. 

I tell you.  Every good thing that I have done in my life is really worthless in the end, if it wasn't for Jesus helping me to do it.  Preaching the Gospel is good, but if you are doing it to get the approval of parents and grandparents, if you are doing it to become famous and influential, if you are doing it for any reason other than Jesus has told you to do it, then it is as if it were filthy rags. 

God in His mercy sent Jesus because He knew we could not do it alone.  Take His hand and live!

When you think about the Gospel, it is mind boggling that God offers peace right after they have executed His Son.  It is not what you would expect.  This does not mean God was pleased with what they did.  In fact, they could not have crucified Jesus without His cooperation.  Jesus laid down His own life.  He knew that His willing sacrifice would open the door for Israel and the Gentiles to have terms of peace with God.

Let us be clear.  Peace with God is only available through putting your faith in His solution, which is Jesus.  Christians are those who have entered peace with God through Jesus, and then have become ambassadors to others on how they can have peace with God too.

Cornelius is a God-fearer, but he needed to learn about the Messiah and put his faith in him, just like the Jews of Jerusalem needed to do.

We can compare this to Noah's family in the ark.  As long as they remained in the ark, they would be safe.  It was God's designated place of protection.  If they jumped off the ark in the midst of the flood, their fate would be the same as those who never entered in the first place.  Jesus is our ark, and we enter him by putting our faith in him and following him.  We have a safe place to fight sin and become like Jesus.

In verse 36, the interjection, "Jesus is Lord of all," might sound like an abrupt insertion.  However, it is key to the point.  God in Deuteronomy 10:17 is described as, "the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome."

This highlights that Jesus has received a position that is higher than all authorities, like that of God the Father. He is not confusing them, but recognizing that the Father has put Jesus over all things.  Yes, it is a statement of divinity, but it is also a statement that helps us understand why his death brings Gentiles, all people, to the table.  Even in the Old Testament, God made it clear to Israel that He had not abdicated His throne over all powers in heaven or on earth.  Similarly, Jesus is not only receiving authority over Jews, or Europeans, or light-brown skinned people of the Near East.  He is lord of all, and so his terms of peace are to go out to all peoples.

In verse 37, Peter relates that they are quite aware of what Jesus had done, and how he had been executed.  Such a story would have affected anyone in the area, and especially those tasked with "keeping the Roman peace" in Judea and its surrounds.  Yet, Peter mentions the important points of what had happened.  Starting from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, he points out that: Jesus was baptized by John, Anointed by the Holy Spirit at that time (i.e., began his Messianic ministry), and He did good and healed those oppressed by the devil.  Yet, "they" killed him by hanging him on a tree (crucifixion).  Yet, God raised Jesus up on the third day, and showed him openly to the disciples.

Thus, Peter points out in verse 39 and 41 that he and the disciples were witnesses of all of this, especially the resurrection.  Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that over 500 people saw the resurrected Jesus and many were still alive decades later.

Peter is recognizing that the message is first for the Jewish people.  They were the ones among whom God had done this work, so they should hear the truth of it first.  However, it is also for Gentiles who also had rebelled against God in Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel.  Paul teaches the same thing in Romans 1:16:17.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (NKJV)

The point is not one of partiality, but one of God's call and purpose.  Even in its disobedience, God would save the remnant of Israel and use them to send the Gospel to the Gentiles.  God's calling is without repentance because He called them knowing full well how they would act and what they would do.

Today a person can step into that place where they hear the truth and respond to the Spirit of God that is within the words of the Gospel.  We become witnesses of those who received the message from witnesses all the way back to the eye-witnesses.

They ultimately testify that God has made Jesus the judge of all humanity (the dead and the living, past and present, Jew and Gentile).  You can't bribe him, nor can you ignore him.  Hebrews 9:27 says, "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."  This means that you will come before him to receive judgment.

At that point, you will not be accepted or rejected based on your genealogy, church attendance record, etc.  He will simply judge you in righteousness, according to the truth. 

This would be devastating news if the second part of Peter's statement were not present.  Those who believe in him will receive "remission of sins," that is forgiveness.  This means that your sins will be removed from you legally and immediately upon faith in Jesus.  From that point on, your faith in Jesus and obedience to the Holy Spirit will practically remove sin from your life in a process that is lifelong.  We should not use this as an excuse to be lazy because God knows our heart.  Sometimes laziness is an excuse for despising the chores given to you by the one in authority, and that is equivalent to despising the authority.  Jesus is able to discern the truth behind such matters in our life.

It is sad that barriers  have been continually lifted up by Christians that God does not intend to be a barrier.  Our love of sin is a big enough barrier.  Our pride is a big enough barrier, that we do not need to add more.  Jesus laid down his life to remove the barriers to people coming to him.  At least, we can say that he did everything for us, but repent in faith over the top of our protesting flesh.

I will never "finish" myself in becoming like Jesus.  It is God who completes the work.  It is best to see yourself working with Him in your heart and mind.  You do what you can, and He does what you can't.  Jesus has an immortal body, so none of us will be in his image until we too are in resurrected bodies.  You cannot do that in yourself.  God must do this for you.  He has promised to do this for all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Our problem today is not the Jew versus Gentile issue.  I will admit that there are some that have reversed this and despise the Jewish people.  This is sin, of course.  In the 1970s of the United States of America, the problem was those hippies.  Further back, it would have been those black people, those Indians, etc.  God helps us to see that we are all simply sinners in need of the grace of Jesus.  We should bar no one who wants to do so from coming to Jesus in repentance.  If we do so, we may find that the Lord's judgment of us in the coming day is not as favorable as we thought.

Peter Preaches audio

The Acts of the Apostles 43

Subtitle: A Critical Juncture

Acts 10:17-33. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on June 4, 2023.

Last week, we saw that both Cornelius the Centurion of Caesarea and the Apostle Peter had a vision from the Lord.  The content of the visions are different, but they are essentially about the same thing.

This is a critical juncture in the book of Acts.  Chapters 10 through 15 portray the Lord opening a door for the Gospel to be preached among the Gentiles.  And, let's be clear.  The goal of the Gospel is not only to have it preached all over the earth, but that every person on earth would have a proper hearing of it.

Even though Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul, would come to be used mainly to reach the Gentiles, it is  Peter that God uses to initiate the Gospel being preached to Gentiles.  His witness will be incredibly important in Acts 15 at a council of the Church regarding this issue.

Turmoil is always going to come to the Church simply because we are human.  Some look to good leadership as the key to protecting the Church, to which I would say, "Yes."  However, it is the leadership of Jesus through His Holy Spirit that should be leading.  There have been many people in the Church through the centuries who are very skilled at commanding others, but are they headed in the same direction as the Spirit of God?

Jesus spent time with these Apostles, teaching them and correcting them.  He also poured His Holy Spirit out upon them so that the Church would be enabled to have a strong and sure foundation on which to build.  The faith of the nations is not up to skilled leaders today.  Rather, the faith of the nations is to be put precisely upon the faith that was once and for all delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3) in the first century.

All of this is led and helped by the Holy Spirit.  As the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of lost people, He also works to connect them with true believers in Jesus so that they can have a good hearing of the Gospel.

Let's look at our passage.

Peter is led by the Spirit (v. 17-23)

Peter has been filled with the Holy Spirit, and we see him in a daily communion with the Lord in prayer.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one and done event; it is not something that you "move on" from.  He takes up residence within your heart and daily works with you to become like Jesus.  He is twice called the Spirit of Christ.  That is, when the Spirit moves upon us, He is relating the desires and commands of Jesus to His disciples.  Of course, we must never take this for granted.  We must actively cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

You may not receive great directives from the Lord every day in visions, dreams, or angelic visitations.  However, we all start our life as a believing disciple with a set of great directives, commands, from the Lord Jesus.  We are to believe on Jesus and his righteousness to remove our sins.  We are to be a people of the Word of God, prayer, and seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit through them.  We are to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can be enabled to become more like Jesus, and to share his Good News with those who do not know him.  That can keep us all busy for a lifetime.

Several aspects of the enabling of the Holy Spirit are seen here.  Peter is given instruction, and he is given direction.

We know that this instruction has to do with the Gentiles receiving the Gospel.  However, this was not as clear to the early Jewish Christians.  For various reasons, it was easier to see preaching the Gospel throughout all of the nations as having more to do with reaching Jews, or Israelites, who had been dispersed to the nations in the prior centuries.  The Old Testament prophesied that Messiah would draw the dispersed of Israel back to the land, and he would restore true worship.  Yet, a close reading of any version of the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20) will show that it is honestly impossible to restrict his commands to simply reaching Jews among the nations.

This social and cultural hurdle has to be overcome by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Notice that the Holy Spirit gives Peter clear instructions, but they do not answer every question that he might have.  The men from Cornelius are arriving.  The Holy Spirit tells Peter that they are there and that he needs to go with them because they are sent by Him.

This is a signature style of the Lord.  He is faithful to give us enough instruction and direction that we can obey, and yet, not enough that it no longer  requires faith on our part.  There will always be plenty of things that we just don't know.  Don't let yourself be frozen by questions and analysis at such times. 

Part of our humanity is that we are generally uncomfortable with not knowing the answers to our questions.  Yet, God values faith over robotic obedience, which we could never give anyways.  He is more interested in you growing to become like Him than you mimicking Him without a change of heart.

In many ways, this is a stronger teaching technique.  We are forced to move forward in faith that it will be clearer down the road.  As we are faithful to what we do know, God helps us to discover more of the truth as our questions experience the fruit of our faith. 

Jesus did this with his own identity as Messiah.  Many of the disciples had come to Jesus on the testimony of John the Baptist.  Yet, Jesus does not emphasize the disciples learning by rote a list of doctrinal teachings on his Messiahship.  Rather, they experience life with him and come to discover that Jesus is doing what Scripture says Messiah would do.  Jesus blessed Peter because "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  These men had been convinced by God's Spirit and not the teaching of a human being.

Here, Peter is learning that he does not need to worry about being defiled by the company of Gentiles, as well as the fact that God was going to save and fill them with the Holy Spirit too.  He didn't have perfect understanding of these things at first.  However, following Jesus is not about being perfect.  It is about being perfected as we rely upon the Spirit of God in our life.  It is about being in the harness with God, and having Him help us along the way.

Thus, God gives us enough to believe him, but leaves room requiring us to walk forward in faith.  I know that I don't have all of the answers.  But, this one thing I do know.  Through His Spirit, God will be with me all the way.  This is what enables us to face a world that is under threat of nuclear destruction without fear.  My life is in God's hand, which doesn't mean a nuclear bomb cannot explode (remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki?).  My life is in God's hands so I know that He is leading me to that which is good.  My hope for tomorrow is not about God controlling everything so that I do not have a bad day.  Instead, it is about knowing His plan for me is good and eternal.  Even death cannot separate us from the love of God and the eternal love He wants to pour out upon us.  God has a plan for you and me.  He intends to bring us through this life to the goodness that He has reserved for us on the other side.  And, good news, there is good even now in the midst of the difficulties of this life.

Peter is also told in verse 20 to go while "doubting nothing."  This is not a categorical statement for everything for the rest of his life.  He doesn't have to answer that cell phone call from "Scam Likely" and do whatever the person on the line says.  This word is specifically about these men and the situation they will create.

When Peter goes downstairs, he is going to see that these men are Gentiles.  He will have doubts about receiving them, lodging them, and going with them to Caesarea.  And while we are at it, let's recognize that we always have doubts.  The point is not so much to get to a theoretical place where doubts never rise in our hearts and minds.  Rather, it is about not letting the doubts cause you to resist, or even rebel against, the clear command of Christ. 

When doubts pop up, you must remind yourself that God has spoken to you.  I see this with those who become Christians, but then have a nagging fear that they may have committed the unpardonable sin.  They fear that the "salvation" is not real.  The only answer to such a thing is to go back to that moment of turning to the Lord.  Most of them could point to a very real moment in which the Spirit of God convicted them of their sins and their need to believe on Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is not playing a game with people.  He would know if someone had committed and unpardonable sin or not.  It is the work of the Spirit of God that gives us confidence that we should keep walking forward in faith trusting God.

Even when we know what God wants us to do, our fleshly mind and heart can come up with doubts.  This is why it is important to have a daily communication with God in prayer, and in the Word.  This can strengthen our confidence in God's leading.  What we do for Christ will be done by faith in him, not simply by feeling and reason.

With all of this leading of Peter by the Holy Spirit, it is interesting to note that the Holy Spirit leaves some of Peter's instruction, or understanding, to come to him through other people.  Thus, we need to seek the Holy Spirit's leading within us, but also learn to hear and see it through others. God also works in and through other people. 

Of course, this is an area where it is important for us to be mature enough in the Lord to recognize when the Lord is working through another person.  In the end, I am responsible to hear what the Spirit is saying and then bring my life into conformity to it.  All of us came to Christ through the work of other people.  However, we then had to take responsibility for what God was saying and make the choice ourselves.  We will see this dynamic throughout this story.

Peter lodges the men over night, and then they head out on the 40 miles trek to Caesarea.  Verse 23 tells us that Peter takes some of the brethren from Joppa with him.  It will be important for others to be witnesses of what transpires in Caesarea.

Sometimes in questionable areas, we can try to do things in secret out of fear.  However, it is always wise to have other believers with us.  In cases where they can't go with you, you can at least talk with them about what is coming up, and ask them to be praying for you.

Peter knows that God is leading him.  He just doesn't know what all God is leading him to do.  When the council in Acts 15 convenes, there will be a large number of witnesses of what God has been doing among the Gentiles.  Each one of them were individuals who stepped out in faith with others.

Peter meets with Cornelius (v. 24-33)

The next morning the group heads out.  Though Peter is headed to see Cornelius, this is more than a meeting with a man.  God is in this meeting and has an agenda of His own.

We are told that Cornelius was waiting for them.  He wants to know what he should do, but he also wants his relatives and close friends to know as well.  We don't know the number of people who have gathered, but the number is less critical than the fact that God is using Cornelius to draw a crowd.

We are not always sure how God is going to use us as well.  A good prayer is this.  "Lord, I want to accomplish what You have for me to do, so help me to recognize it and to do it." 

May God bless those faithful people like Cornelius who have the fire of God within them to gather others to hear the Word of the Lord.  There is no idea that God told him to do this.  We generally do not need a direct word from the Lord in order to do something.  This is in keeping with the God of Israel.  He continually calls for people to hear what He has to say.

The fact that Cornelius meets Peter at the door is a sign of great respect.  This is not the normal way that a Roman centurion would deal with a Judean. 

On the other hand, an angel of God told Cornelius to send for Peter.  If God did something similar in your life, that person would go way up in your estimation.

However, Cornelius falls to the ground and worships Peter.  This word for worship does have a range of meaning.  Thus, the question is this.  Is Cornelius simply showing great respect to Peter as one of greater authority (spirit) than he, or, is he actually worshiping Peter as a divine man.  The gentiles had a mentality that the gods and demi-gods could appear as people and walk among us.  We see this in Acts 14 when Paul and Barnabas heal a man crippled from birth.  The people cry out that "the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"

Peter probably would have been uncomfortable with both ends of the spectrum.  He definitely would not allow someone to worship him as divine.  Yet, he also knows that he is nobody to be bowed down to.  Only Jesus deserves such honor.  At the cross, Peter had found out just how great he really was.  He was not Peter the Great, but rather, he was Just Peter the Pebble.  It was to Peter the Pebble that Christ spoke the tender words.  "Do you love me?  Feed my sheep."  Peter is not full of himself and needing a fragile ego stroked.

The Church would be in a far better place had those who served in the Church of Jesus through the centuries had the same humility that Peter came to have.   Throughout the years, powerful people within Christianity have done a great disservice to God by requiring too much undue homage to be paid to persons of authority.

Peter was not this way.  He took Cornelius by the shoulders and pulls him up.  He impresses on Cornelius that he is just a man.  Cornelius is a devout believer, but he clearly is in need of godly instruction.  This is why the Lord has enabled this meeting.

It is then that Peter discovers a whole group of Gentiles have gathered.  The elephant in the room is that this would not normally be done by a godly Jew.  Peter begins by clearing out this social issue that had become a wall between Jews and Gentiles. 

Verse 28 says, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation."  This was not so much from a specific command in the law as it was a protection that developed from the laws of ritual cleanliness.  Gentiles did not operate according to the Law of Moses, and so were generally defiled through the foods they ate and activity they did.

We should take some time to explain that the word "defiled" or "unclean" in this context has to do with a ritual (ceremonial) defilement.  A defiled person could not go before the altar of God, period.  Thus, it is more about the ability to approach God.  Of course, at the altar, a person could then offer sacrifices for their sins, which Jesus is the once-and-for-all offering for sin.  Of course, no godly Jew ever wanted to be defiled and unable to participate in festivals, or offerings.  Over time, a safe set of instructions had been built up like a wall against accidentally becoming defiled. 

This wall had then become a wall between God's people and the ones that God wanted to reach, Gentiles.  It can get so thick that we no longer have a concept that maybe God still cares about them and wants to reach them.  Yet, if you closely read the Old Testament, you will see that God's heart for reaching the Gentiles was all through it.

Peter tells the group that God has shown him not to call any man common or unclean.  Notice that Peter is making the connection that the Holy Spirit is leading him to make.  The unclean foods was representing the Gentiles.  Just as God had cleansed all foods so that they could now be eaten under the New Covenant, God had also cleansed all Gentiles so that they could now interact with Jews and directly approach God for forgiveness.

When  you run into people who ridicule Christians not following their own Bible because they eat pork or shellfish, point them to this verse.  The death of Jesus on the cross had fulfilled the law and made the foods and the Gentiles clean.  This doesn't mean Gentiles were all saved at the cross, but that they now can approach (have access to) the throne of Grace and believe on Jesus Christ!  There would be no restrictions.  This is not a whimsical change.  It is a change that is made possible through the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus!

In verses 30 through 32, Cornelius tells his story of the angel in the vision.  Back in verse 6, the angel says of Peter, "He will tell you what you must do."  In verse 33, Cornelius says that they are gathered "before God to hear all the things commanded you by God."

There is a necessary component to what God wants Cornelius to do.  He is a God-fearer, but he still needs to put his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior.  The same commands given to Peter and his fellow Jews, as well as the Samaritans, are intended for these Gentiles.

This is a good picture of how we should always be when we gather to hear the word of the Lord.  Whether I am an individual in times of devotion (reading the word and praying), or a family honoring God at home, or a church gathering for weekly fellowship, we need to have an attitude that we are gathered before God in order to hear what He would have us do.

God accepts the worship of Cornelius, but He also expects him to grow in his understanding, his worship, and his obedience.  If Cornelius wants to participate in a deeper walk with God, then he will need to mix his hearing with faith.

If this was a group of Jews, Peter would not hesitate to tell them about believing in Jesus.  Yet, now he is faced with the obvious desire of God.  Who is he to tell God that He can't save Gentiles this way?  Who am I to stand in the way of people hearing the Gospel?  For Peter, it was the barrier of "unclean" Gentiles.  God tells him not to call unclean what He has cleansed.

This work of Jesus makes it possible for "whosoever" desires to come before God and ask for cleansing of sins from Jesus.  Everybody needs to hear and have the opportunity to believe.  We have our own ideas about who can possibly come to faith in Christ and deserve a hearing.  For you, it may be a person with tattoos, piercings, and colored hair.  Yet, for them, it may be a person who wears a suit for a living.  The Spirit of God wants to break down these barriers and bring us into situations where we can share the Good News about the sacrifice of Jesus, and the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Peter sees in this moment that God has broken down this wall that had developed between Jews and Gentiles.  May we be a people who are led by the Spirit and not our cultural sensibilities.  The Assemblies of God was always a missionary movement.  The founding generation sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that people around the world would have a Spirit-filled witness in their life.  This would give them the best possible chance to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

God help us to desire, to hunger, for the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can be a powerful testimony in the lives of others.

Critical Juncture audio